1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the art of wheeled foot vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates to the art of two-wheeled skateboards which do not require lifting of the rider's feet during operation thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A number of wheeled foot vehicles are well known in the art. For example, roller skates, roller skis, skateboards and the like are well known and have been enjoyed by countless generations. Wheeled foot vehicles, in the form of roller skates, were used by young children in the late eighteen hundreds. In fact, J. Forsyth patented an improvement in roller skates in 1878 with U.S. Pat. No. 200,186.
During the early nineteen hundreds, boys and girls alike enjoyed riding two-wheeled coasters about their neighborhoods. Youthful interest laid the ground work for invention and by 1918, C. H. Johnson received U.S. Pat. No. 1,274,889 for a coaster having a board, two wheels and a handlebar.
During the early 1960's a number of improvements were made to the conventional "coaster." Adolescents soon discovered that wheeled surfboards or "skateboards" could be constructed by combining a relatively short wooden board with roller skate wheels. The early "roller skate wheels" eventually evolved into modern skateboard wheels which generally incorporate a polyurethane outer surface and sealed bearings. A conventional skateboard is set forth by Brand et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,316, wherein a front wheel mount and a rear wheel mount are permanently affixed to the same side of a generally flat board. A pair of wheels are rotatably affixed about each wheel mount such that the board rests upon four wheels. The four-wheeled construction of Brand et al. provides relative stability at slow velocities and while the skateboard is at rest.
Two-wheeled foot vehicles have existed since at least the 1970's, although they have not been as popular as the more traditional four-wheeled skateboards. Pantzar, U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,873, sets forth a "two-roller" skateboard having a flat board with a pair of steerable rollers disposed about an underside thereof. Each of the two rollers according to Pantzar's are quite substantial in width and at least as great as one half of the overall width of the skateboard. This wide pair of rollers offers stability to the rider at slower speeds and at rest.
Other skateboards have incorporated variations of the two-wheeled skateboard. Barachet, U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,155, sets forth a skateboard having two wheels mounted to an underside thereof. The rear wheel of Barachet is mounted with a fixed axis of rotation relative to the longitudinal axis of the skateboard. However, Barachet suffers from awkward foot placement because the rear wheel protrudes through the surface of the board. Barachet also requires wheels which are exceptionally wide to provide added support to the rider and requires a board which is not substantially planar between the wheel mounts.
Although a number of wheeled foot vehicles exist, young thrill seekers are continually searching for more aggressive and unique ways to develop their acrobatic skills. Further, young skateboard riders find conventional skateboards limiting due to a recurring need to remove the rider's feet from the skateboard in order to propel the skateboard forward.
As a further matter, skateboard technology has conventionally developed around the four-wheeled model. Accordingly, conventional wheels are generally quite wide in order to provide increased support to the rider.
More recently, roller-skating itself has found renewed interest among young people in the form of "in-line" skating. In-line skating requires a series of in-line wheels rotationally disposed about the bottom of a pair of roller skate boots. This growing trend of in-line skating has increased the technology for in-line wheels and has also created a demand for improvements in two-wheeled skateboards.